Wrestling: Upper Merion falls to Norristown in regular season finale

WEST NORRITON — Going only by the win-loss column, this has not been a successful year for the Upper Merion Vikings, who fell to Norristown 69-6 on Wednesday night to wrap up the regular season. However, head coach Marcus Johnson does not see it that way, at all.

“Wrestling’s not easy. There’s nothing easy about wrestling,” he said. “There are a lot of kids that talk the talk but there’s not too many kids that actually walk the walk. I’ve got a respect for these seven guys on my team this year. To not quit and to not give up, to be getting blown out 60-something-6 and to show up every Monday and to still be here, it shows a lot about them and their character.”

As a further testament to the heart of this team, not only do the seven wrestlers show up every day to practice for matches that almost certainly will not have favorable outcomes, they have used the adversity to get closer as a team and as people.

“These kids now, these seven, they are now becoming one,” said Johnson. “I see that they’re talking to each other and you can tell that this isn’t just talk because they’re here. You can tell that these kids talk to each other in school and you can see that they’re starting to realize that this is what they’ve got.”

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However, reinforcements may soon be on the way for Upper Merion, who will not be losing a single wrestler to graduation over the next two years and have a good amount of wrestlers coming up from eighth and ninth-grade to join this current crop of Vikings.

Along with the appeal of the possibility of being a freshman and being on varsity, Johnson is hopeful that the success of some of the more talented wrestlers will also make the sport more attractive to potential wrestlers, with sophomore 126-pounder Sean Ginsburg, who notched Upper Merion’s lone victory on Wednesday night with a second period fall, leading the way.

“What’s going to help us with these next two grades is that we have somebody like a Ginsburg, who has some talent and he can showcase his talent,” said Johnson. “When kids see a good kid, they get interested.”

For his part, Ginsburg has already stepped up to assume that leadership role, working out with the other wrestlers on the time and demonstrating whatever he can. He also remains optimistic that the team will continue to improve in the coming years.

“I try to help them all. We’re trying stuff at different practices,” said Ginsburg. “Next year, we’ll have some eighth-graders, so hopefully we’ll have some freshmen to help build the team.”

In addition to helping his current teammates, Ginsburg also has several personal goals that he is hoping to reach both this year, including qualifying for states, and in the next two years, such as joining the exclusive 100-Win Club, which he is nearly halfway to reaching.

“Leagues I should do good, districts should be challenging and regionals should be hard, but I hope to get states,” said Ginsburg.

Regardless of the results of the postseason, both for Ginsburg and the rest of the team, Johnson will still view this season as a success.

“To go out there and compete when you know you are giving up 60 points, that’s a feat itself,” said Johnson. “I’m proud of my guys. I know that I, myself, I don’t know that I could have done this, so to see these seven kids do it, and do it with a smile on their face, has been comforting. It really has.”